Young Could Still Salvage His Odu Career

David Teel -

January 25, 1991|By DAVID TEEL Staff Writer

According to popular theory, Tom Young is gone. He will return from his two-game suspension and listlessly complete the season as Old Dominion's head basketball coach. Then he will resign a beaten and frustrated man.

It doesn't have to be that way. Yes, Young's post-game outburst last Thursday at Western Kentucky was an embarrassment to all concerned. But Young, his players and ODU athletic director Jim Jarrett can learn from the incident, adjust their behavior and get about the business of salvaging a program on the ropes.

Jarrett suspended Young for six days last Friday, one night after ODU's 77-74 loss at Western Kentucky prompted an inexcusable tantrum from Young. As the final seconds ran off the clock, Young sprinted onto the court to confront an official. Western Kentucky forward Jack Jennings trotted past Young and appeared to slap Young's backside. Young and several ODU players then chased Jennings toward the locker room, where harsh words were exchanged.

The incident, which was replayed for television audiences, left Jarrett with no choice. A private censure would not have sufficed, and the six-day, two-game suspension was more than fair.

That suspension ends today, and the key to a positive resolution rests with the parties understanding why the incident ever occurred and what can be done to remedy the causes.

This is Young's sixth season at ODU. He arrived with a glittering resume that included a Final Four appearance in 1976 with Rutgers and 15 consecutive seasons without a losing record.

But since coaching the Monarchs to a 23-8 record and an NCAA tournament second-round appearance in 1986, Young has struggled. ODU has not returned to the NCAA since and is going nowhere fast in 1991. Players have transferred in waves.

Fans, the few ODU has, are disgruntled. Some have called for Young's dismissal. But Young has two years remaining on a contract that pays him $102,941 annually, and the athletic department can't afford a buyout.

Young resents much of the criticism. He considers his detractors disloyal, ill-informed, or both.

Young also is frustrated. He is 58-years-old, and ODU probably is his last head coaching position. He doesn't want a 30-year career tainted by a late run of mediocrity.

Young's age and experience also have contributed to perhaps his most complex problem: communication with his players. Kids today are different than kids were in 1958 _ Young's first season at Catholic University. And adjustment has been difficult for Young.

He views today's top players as spoiled children who require babysitting. Tom Young doesn't want to run a day care center. He wants to coach a basketball team.

When Kenny Gattison went into a funk in 1986, Young berated him in a hotel room one night. Gattison responded with an excellent season and now plays in the NBA. Chris Gatling, ODU's best player this season, has resisted Young's discipline, and the full measure of Gatling's talent remains a mystery.

It is with that backdrop that Young lost his composure last Thursday evening.

Jarrett and ODU's players must realize that Young's actions were not those of a maniac. We all lose it occasionally, and most are fortunate enough not to have television cameras and thousands of spectators privy to those weak moments.

Young cares passionately. If he didn't care, if he was just playing out the season, he would have shrugged off Thursday's defeat and popped a cold one.

ODU's players could respond to that passion. Young could, in turn, become more flexible in dealing with the players.

Or, the players could give up on Young, and vice-versa. The suspension could serve as the final wedge between Jarrett and Young.